My boyfriend received his first salary from his new job, so he treated me to a delicious meal!

We went to Yabu at SM Megamall for a late lunch (read: 4pm!).

We were starving, and everything on the Yabu menu looked appetizing. But in the end, we ordered two things: Rosu Katsu Set (80g), and Hire Katsu Burger. No particular reason for these orders; I just chose the cheapest on the menu. XD

On the menu, Rosu (Pork Loin) Set is described as Thick & juicy pork cutlet with a trimming of fat. This set comes in 180 grams, 120 grams, and 80 grams. We ordered the 80 grams. I worried that it would be too small for my humongous hunger, but it wasn’t; it was enough to split between us, without us feeling deprived!

The description said the katsu said it comes with a *trimming* of fat, but I, with my trust issues and all, thought it has a substantial amount of fat. I guess I’m so used to karinderya porkchops which are mostly thick slabs of fat with a bit of meat. Good thing, I didn’t feel the fat in the Rosu katsu at all. I didn’t get distracted by the jelly-like texture of fat, which I don’t like. Perhaps it was only a thin layer, which only deepened the flavor of the katsu.

Yabu serves unlimited rice, cabbage, soup, and fruits with its set meals. Of course we had these refilled. ^^

Our other order was the Hire Katsu Burger:

Hire Katsu Burger

According to the menu, the Hire Katsu Burger consists of 3/4-inch thick, crunchy and juicy pork cutlet topped with shredded cabbage, shiso leaves, Japanese pickles, drizzled with soy butter, sando sauce and onion jam, in a brioche bun.

To be honest, I didn’t really read this before ordering. I was too hungry to care. Anything with “burger” on its name can’t possibly go wrong. I researched these ingredients as I was writing the blog. I just expected lettuce, cheese, and ketchup, but when it was served, and when I took my first bite, I was taken by surprise.

Now that I knew the ingredients, it all makes sense now; no wonder the burger is so tasty! It has so many ingredients on it, and most are unfamiliar to me.

The burger arrests the appetite with its unfamiliar, yet mouthwatering, aroma. A bite is an explosion of tastes; a festival for the senses.

Overall, dining in Yabu was a great experience.

The food was great. A place with katsu as its specialty better be sure it has damn good katsu, and in terms of that, Yabu did not disappoint. Also, with the unlimited rice, cabbage, and fruits, it is assured that you will have your fill and value for your money.

Service was good. The servers were attentive and polite. They refilled everything without being told.

Of course, the experience was also made special by celebrating with a loved one!

I also had fun because I played a bit. I challenged myself to pick up the smallest bread crumb possible, using chopsticks. People say don’t play with food, but I was just trying to eat slowly, and also buy time and make the moment last longer.

Overall, it was a yahoo for Yabu!

Goodbye for now, katsu! Kastu later!

Yabu: House of Katsu has several branches spread across the metro. Check out their facebook page here!

Father’s day was more than a week ago, but let me belatedly share with you my message for my father, which I posted on my fb timeline.

Since my parents got into facebook, they look forward to lengthy messages on special occassions. As a dutiful daughter, I am willing to oblige. Besides, it doesn’t hurt to show appreciation, right? I think people should be generous with kind words. It’s one of the easiest ways to spread happiness and love!

Just for a bit of context, my father is an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker). Because he works abroad, we only get to see him a maximum total of two months per year. It’s quite sad, but we are actually luckier than some, who has to wait years before they see their loved ones again.

Below is my message for my dad:

My dad’s luggage is made of magic. No matter how packed it is, there will always, always be room for more pasalubong requests. Cup noodles? Rice crackers? Chocolates? A bag? Feeding bottles? More cup noodles with bulkier packaging? They all go in.

So don’t worry dad. They do say I am so much like you, looks, gestures, quirks, and all. I also aspire to have a heart as big as yours. So even if I now have a boyfriend, and no matter what happens in the future, you will always have a place in my heart solely reserved for dads- immovable and impenetrable.

To the captain of our ship; thank you for steering our lives to greater shores. I’ve lost count of how many father’s day celebrations you had to miss due to the nature of your work. Although you may not be present most of the time, you never stopped being a dad for us.

Yesterday, my boyfriend gave me a box of Pepero. It’s almond, my favorite Pepero variant! And it has this adorable pun at the front of the box:

Isn’t he the sweetest? And isn’t this the cutest? ^^

I turtley love it!!!

Like most Pepero boxes, it has a portion at the back of the box where one can write letters. I think Pepero is a thoughtful gift for special occassions.

For those who are unfamiliar, Pepero is a sweet snack that looks like this:

Pepero Almond. Image taken from Wikipedia.com.

Basically, they are biscuit sticks coated with chocolate or something else, depending on the flavor.

As I mentioned, almond is my favorite because I love the crunchy almond bits, which goes so well with the chocolate. Although I also like the other flavors, too. There’s chocolate, strawberry, cookies and cream, and many more!

Pepero is memorable for me and my boyfriend because I gave him one on the day I agreed for us to be officially a couple! ♥♥♥ I gave him Pepero because it was November 11, or Pepero Day.

Pepero Day is observed by some people in South Korea. Those who celebrate it give Pepero to their loved ones on this day. The exact origin of the event is unknown, but one of the most popular stories is that it came from the date it is celebrated, November 11, or 11/11. The number ones on that date resemble the Pepero, that is why it is celebrated on this date.

Besides our anniversary memory, and the recent pun-ny Pepero moment, I also had other Pepero moments in the past.

My guy friend gave me, along with other friends, Pepero on Valentine’s back in 2013. That was so sweet, especially I was single back then, so I wasn’t expecting to receive any sweets.

Also, I buy my mother Pepero as pasalubong whenever I can. Almond is her favorite, too! My mother loves Pepero. She often has a stock of it in her room’s food stash, which I am guilty of periodically raiding. My mother never gets fat even if she loves chocolates and snacks! Lucky her! I’m so envious. T-T But maybe I get fat because I eat most of her food. :))))

Pepero has been present in many sweet moments in my life. I’m looking forward to more memories we will have with Pepero!

To know more about Pepero and other products from Lotte, visit lotte.com.ph.

I avoid milkshakes because I hate getting sore throats when I drink too much of them.

But then, I saw this image from facebook:

Image taken from Tokyo Bubble Tea Ph Facebook page.

Look at those colors! It’s what childhood dreams are made of! How can I resist?!

I did try. But after seeing several friends posted pictures of the Sakura Unicorn Milkshake on Instagram, I was too envious. I just had to have some,too!

So, together with my boyfriend, I went to Tokyo Bubble Tea at SM Megamall.

We had two flavor choices for the Sakura Unicorn Milkshake: Strawberry and Taro. Since taro is less common, we decided to order this flavor.

We order the large size and shared it between us, because we are a sweet, #relationshipgoals couple like that. Actually, we’re saving money LOL! Also, I’m making myself believe I’m on a diet HAHAHA!

So this is how our Sakura Unicorn Taro Milkshake looked like:

FRONT VIEW. They didn’t put it in a tall glass like the ones in the poster. This one looks like a beer mug. Maybe because it was large sized? Good thing it’s still pretty!TOP VIEW. Edited with one of my favorite facebook sticker packs, Emoticat.

The Sakura Unicorn Milkshake consisted of:

Taro milkshake (purple)

Tapioca balls

What I believe to be ice cream (pink,blue,and green)

Vanila ice cream

Pink,round candy sprinkles

The bottom of a cone,coated in white chocolate and rainbow candy sprinkles

Edible golden ball. We’re so rich like that, we eat gold! Haha!

It sure looks good, but how about the taste? The Sakura Unicorn Taro Milkshake was creamy and milky. It tastes like molten ice cream! It was sweet, but not too sweet. I expected it to be too sweet, but it wasn’t, which is a plus!

The Sakura Unicorn Taro Milkshake tasted more like milk than taro. Not that I’m complaining. I wasn’t particularly craving for taro, I just wanted a pretty drink which tastes good, and the Sakura Unicorn Taro Milkshake (yes, I have to include the “Sakura Unicorn” part all the time, because when can I type these words together again? ♥♥♥) deliciously delivers.

The Sakura Unicorn Milkshakes sell for Php155 for medium and Php165 for large, for both strawberry and taro flavors.

By the way,there’s an additional service charge. I forgot how many percent the service charge was because we lost the receipt. We ended up paying around Php180, so just do the math, I’m not good with numbers LOL. XD

But it’s okay, the servers were attentive and courteous. They refilled our water multiple times even before we asked for it. I hope they get paid well with the service charge and all, ’cause waiting tables is a hard job, and they have to serve rude custoners sometimes too.

Overall,it was a great experience! I just suggest that if Tokyo Bubble Tea will continue this line of drinks, and not make it a limited edition flavor,then they should invest in more attractive glassware that will go better with the drink. The beer mug just doesn’t suit it that much.

To those who are unfamiliar, the Disco Pang Pang is an amusement park ride. I have seen it in our university festival in Korea, and inside one of the buildings in the city center of Cheonan.

Watch Lizzy of Kpop girl group After School and unit group Orange Caramel ride the Disco Pang Pang below:

The Disco Pang Pang looks like a disk with railings. Someone who’s like a DJ plays music and teases the riders before and during the ride. That, with the cheesy music, creates an amusing atmosphere.

So, compared to roller coasters and drop towers, it does not look intimidating.

But before you know it, you are holding on for dear life as the ride rotates round and round, up and down— and there are no seat belts! Some actually slide off their seats and slip to the middle of the disk! After some time, the ride would stop and some people would playfully dance in the middle.

People would laugh and relax… until the chaos starts all over again!

Here is a video of Block B on the ride:

I first experienced Disco Pang Pang in our university spring festival. I underestimated it’s power. But after the ride, my arms were so sore I can’t even high five my friends without wincing in pain.

At least we can put our hands on our bellies as our bodies are still deciding whether to laugh our hearts out, or puke our guts out. :))

Maybe next time I ride the Disco Pang Pang, I’ll invite my friends to take on challenges, just like Park Myung Soo did:

Brushing teeth on the Disco Pang Pang?! As if solely riding it wasn’t a challenge enough! XD

Only recently was I able to put down my 2013 exchange student experience into words. I wrote them here and here.

4 years. It took me that much time to write about it- and I’m just getting started. Even if I highly believe in the magic of words, some experiences just takes time to be processed, more than others. Especially something with life-changing magnitude such as this.

4 years. The length of time needed to finish most college degrees. The length of time for a baby to learn crucial life skills such as walking, talking, eating solid food, and studying basic academic concepts. The length of time that may enable so many changes.

Even with the awareness that many things will inevitably change in this long time, I still find myself surprised every now and then.

Recently, while I was browsing through my Facebook feed, I read a status of one of our American dorm managers in my former dormitory in Cheonan. They are now moving back to United States, more than 8 years since they first moved to South Korea.

I clicked “Like”, but shock is my real reaction. I don’t know why, but I always kind of expected them to stay there ’til they grow old.

Not because we are close enough for me to know of their life plans. It’s because when people are a huge part of our memories, sometimes we expect them to remain the same- forever.

With this, I recall comments from my relatives whom I haven’t seen in a long time, things such as, “Wow, you’re all grown up!”, “You’re so tall now!”, etc.

Before, I want to roll my eyes and say, “Of course I’ve changed! You haven’t seen me in YEARS!”

But now, I understand them more.

My special memories are carefully preserved in a corner of my mind. The places I’ve been and the people I met there will always be the same.

Of course, this cannot be true. Now, most foreigner friends returned to their country of origin. Most Korean friends have graduated for college. Some are even married and have their first child.

Even I had changed a lot. I have graduated from school and had my first job. I found an amazing guy who later became my boyfriend. I now wear red lipstick everyday.

The first few months I came home from Korea, my bones ached from the heaviness of nostalgia. Longing for the surprises that later became my comforts. But as news of changes reached me bit by bit, I realized it’s the nature of everything to change. And it’s an inevitable, necessary, and even amazing thing.

Time flies- and we should use its wings to take us to greater heights.

As that popular song goes, “How do you measure a year?” For me, I measured 2013 with gains and losses.

As for gains, one of the best was Heechul’s undying love. Kidding of course! Hey, a girl can dream!

The truth is, one of the things I gained was weight! I can go on and on all day talking about (and of course, eating) Korean food, and I still wouldn’t be done.

I also gained a handful of friends from all over the world, not just Koreans, but people from other nationalities, and even other Filipinos as well.

Since some of them had been in Korea for months or even years, they helped us adjust to life in Korea. It was fun getting a glimpse of their own colorful cultures.

I lost a lot too— or should I say, I got lost. A lot!

There was a time my friends and I ended up walking a much longer route from a folk village to NSeoul tower, and we ended up walking around a jogging path in our dresses and heeled boots.

Once I also I rode the wrong train, and I was all alone! The train was bound for Seoul, where I am planning to go to anyway, but it had reserved seats and a much more expensive price. Good thing the conductor didn’t ask a ticket from me or I would have been embarrassed!

But it was all worth it as we were able to explore many places in and out of Seoul; UNESCO world heritage sites (Seokguram Grotto, Bulguksa Temple), traditional treasures (palaces and folk villages), Seoul staples (N Seoul Tower Myeongdong, Insadong, Hongdae), nature adventures (Nami Island, cheonggyecheon stream, parks), countryside charms (Yeosu, Boryeong), and many more.

I also lost many of my fears, like my fear of extreme rides. In theme parks Everland and Lotte World, there seems to be every variation of tossing, turning, dropping known to mankind.

I felt like my friends and I were like fruits put into a blender; put whole, and turned into unidentifiable mush. But it was so much fun!

I also lost my fear of the unknown. Daily, mundane tasks like buying something from the convenience store or riding the bus was a challenge when you can’t speak their native tongue well.

But the unknown became less daunting as long as I am armed with a ready apology and the ability to laugh at mishaps.

Suddenly, I stopped considering them as fears, but as adventures.

No matter how difficult something seems to be, it can be fun when you are with friends. But being alone isn’t so bad either; you gain more independence and self-love!

Love and Hate

I wasn’t able to make Heechul fall in love with me, but I did fall in love with South Korea even more.

The kind of love nurtured by spending memories together, through the harshest winter to the most blazing summer, the misunderstandings to connections that transcends words.

But there is one thing I did hate about South Korea: I hated saying goodbye.

But I am not too sad because the memories will remain. Anyway, I can always book a ticket and comeback!

If you haven’t done so yet, I wish you will have your own Korean adventure as well, whether as an exchange student, traveler, or whatever else.

You just might have the time of your life too!

Annyeong, Korea! Til the next Annyeong!

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